The Fraud of Fear

Fear and Loathing are the paths to power in the United States.  It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.  We as a people have been lied to by those that hold the power in this country and the sooner we can admit to it the better.  “The Art of War” and “The Prince” are the current bibles of power brokers.  Espousing divide and conquer tactics is the way those in power keep it.  Fear, anger and hate tend to overwhelm reason and logic. They have kept both the right and the left in an agitated state that forbids compromise.  The NRA with their masterful ‘Astroturf” movement has convinced most gun owners that a Democratic government will take their guns away.  This increases gun sales at every mass shooting.  Gun owners scared that their hobby will soon go away haven’t taken the time to think through how anyone could take American’s guns away.  By focusing on this “issue” many gun owners won’t even think about how to keep guns away from the inner city gangs and others that shouldn’t own them.  Equally rabid liberals seem to think that we could somehow become Canada or England and eliminate gun ownership.  The hate from the fringes stops dialogue and moves the Country in the direction that only the most powerful want.

The media is complicit in this fraud on the American People as conflict and outrageousness are a lot more interesting than issues and peace.  Our reliance on the virtual world means we are interacting with fewer people on a daily basis and those we do interact with are more likely to be just like us.  This makes it easier to demonize those that are different.  By creating stereotypes of the “Conservative”  and the “Liberal”, that don’t exist in any number, they stoke the hatred.  The virtual world is the prime stomping grounds for phony outrage.  Both political parties  have stooped so low that they are only obsessed with gaining more power;  Democrats are only communicating their need for money to stop the Republicans.  The Republicans have spent the last seven years on the idea that they have to stop everything the Democrats do whether good or bad.  The Citizens United decision is one of the best things to happen to the press in a long time.  The idea that the media, which is the recipient of all the campaign finance funds, should help get the money out of campaigns is fantasy.   As long as politicians are elected with money that comes from sources that can’t vote for them, politicians will pass laws that are not in their constituents’ best interest.  Making this happen will require a true grass roots movement which realizes that the only way for all to prosper is to unite.

 

Patriotism isn't measured by Profits

We’ve confused profits with patriotism. Watching the Republican debate brought this simple point home to me.  We as a nation have assumed that if it is profitable it must be good, and if it isn’t profitable it must be bad.  The media is particularly good at manipulating the news so that it is profitable to them.  By creating these people that they call “conservative” and ”liberal” they have created caricatures that don’t exist in the numbers that they are portrayed.  Both the media and the political parties have created divisive issues that tell how bad the other side is, but in reality are issues that can never be resolved:  Outlawing abortion is not going to stop it from being done.  Some research has shown that they are currently at a level that is lower than when the procedure was illegal.  Determining when the soul enters the body is the real (male) issue here.  I believe the Supreme Court recognized the only way to keep from institutionalizing religion  is by adopting the ability to survive outside the womb as the test.  Any other answer is recognizing a religious principal as governing the land.  Immigration laws already protect us from its’ adverse consequences.  It has been illegal to hire an illegal since Reagan was in office.  The states have the ability to stop welfare benefits for illegal’s: so what harm is it to this country if illegal’s are allowed to stay, (they do spend money)?  We may need to enforce the law more.  Fences have proven to be totally worthless in China and Berlin.  The troubles in Israel are partially caused by the new fence there.  Even though many living in the inner city would like to take all the guns away, I want to know how it will be accomplished? 

If we take these issues away we find that most conservatives and liberals think the country is going the wrong direction.  Having worked for a large multinational, I can say that most decisions were made without regard to the U.S..  We have given our loyalties to our employers and our political power to the special interest groups that back them up.  We have troubles with faceless and uncaring bureaucracies and tend to blame all our problems on them: The conservatives on the government and the liberals on big business.  The media is complicit in keeping us apart by publishing; lies, misinformation, and more importantly by not publishing important news.  Opinions are published in a fact like manner, and sources now include: “Some people say”.  Because the media is the recipient of all of the campaign finance funds, they are extremely vested in the current system and are unlikely to be of much help with campaign finance reform.

We as a people have to realize that one person cannot change the direction of the country.  It is a job for all of us.  As long as politicians are elected with money that comes from sources that can’t vote for them, politicians will pass laws that are not in their constituents’ best interest.